The Investigative Process

An investigation is the process used by the Title IX office to carefully examine an allegation or complaint of gender-based harm including sexual harassment and sexual violence in order to determine whether the SVSH policy has been violated, and if so, what steps the University may take to correct and address such a violation, including assessing discipline.

This investigation is an administrative proceeding and not a criminal one. This means that the investigation determines whether university policy has been violated, not whether the law has been violated.
 
ROLES/DEFINITIONS

Complainant: the individual(s) making the allegation

Respondent: the individual(s) against whom the allegation is made who is responding to the allegation

Witness: an individual who has direct knowledge of or information about the allegation being made

Investigator: the individual charged with gathering information, including statements of the complainant, the respondent and witnesses, documents, texts, photos, pictures, images, and recordings, analyzing the information gathered, and determining by a preponderance of the evidence what happened.

Preponderance: the standard against which information and evidence gathered during the investigation is assessed. The preponderance of evidence standard means “more likely than not”

To see a flowchart of the investigation process and the different phases, you can visit this link to view the full pdf.

Additional information about Title IX investigations and related flowcharts can be found below.

• Investigation FAQ
• What to Expect: Complainants and Respondents
• Role of an Advisor
• Role of a Support Person
• Witnesses-What to Expect
• Student Adjudication Flowchart
• PPSM Staff Adjudication Flowchart
• Non-Senate Faculty Adjudication Flowchart
• Non-Faculty/Non-Represented Academic Staff Adjudication Flowchart
• Senate Faculty Adjudication Flowchart
• TIX Workflow for Senate Faculty